Enlighted Raises $20M for Networked Smart Lighting Nodes, Software

SUNNYVALE, CA — Apr 18, 2013 – Enlighted Inc., a leader in solutions for improving the performance and value of commercial buildings and real estate, has raised $20 million in Series C financing. New investor RockPort Capital led the round and was joined by new investor DFJJAIC. Existing investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Intel Capital also participated in the round.

Enlighted is also proud to announce that its intelligent sensor technology and software are being employed to reduce power consumption for more than 10 million square feet of commercial real estate, double the size of the installed footprint just five months ago. LinkedIn, Bank of New York, Google, Turner Broadcasting, JDSU, the City of San Jose, Hewlett-Packard and several Fortune 1000 companies have reduced lighting energy costs by 50 to 75 percent in buildings outfitted with Enlighted’s system. In all, Enlighted has saved more than 15 gigawatt hours of electricity since it began installing its technology into commercial buildings less than two years ago.

“Managing buildings better remains one of the largest opportunities in technology. Commercial property owners want to increase their net operating income by lowering operating costs as well as get the most out of their floor space,” said Victor Westerlind, a general partner at RockPort Capital. “Enlighted leverages sensor and IT technologies to achieve those goals. Just as important, it eliminates the cost and complexity of installing and managing these systems, which have been barriers to adoption.”

Enlighted combines leading-edge sensor technology, Big Data analytics, and advanced controls to precisely manage office buildings, public spaces, industrial sites and other real estate. The heart of the company’s technology is Enlighted Sensor, an unobtrusive, intelligent device that attaches to new or existing LED, fluorescent, CFL or HID light fixtures. Enlighted Sensors monitor light levels, temperature, occupancy and power consumption for the 100 square feet of floor space directly beneath each of them and then control these environmental parameters to save energy, reduce glare or harvest sunlight. Employees or building managers can quickly personalize spaces for comfort and energy savings with a few mouse clicks.

Enlighted’s Energy Manager, meanwhile, analyzes data from Sensor to track consumption, check conference room availability, visualize occupancy and other tasks. Some Enlighted customers, for instance, are using Enlighted’s system to redesign work areas and optimize floor space.

Notable case studies include Interface Global, which reduced lighting power in a 35,000 office/warehouse in Acworth, Georgia by 70 percent, achieving a return on investment of 18 months. Tarlton Properties has integrated Enlighted into the 500,000 square feet, 15-building Menlo Business Park to save more than $400,000 per year in lighting and heating/air conditioning energy.

Enlighted’s technology can be deployed with LED lighting for a combined reduction in lighting energy of over 80 percent or added to existing fluorescent fixtures, which still comprise 85% of U.S. commercial office buildings, so customers can reduce energy without an electrical retrofit. Increasingly, Enlighted expects to see its technology compliment LEDs in office buildings as well as manufacturing facilities and clean rooms where the combined technologies will have a substantial impact on both lighting and air handling.

“We are extremely gratified by this support and encouragement from our investors and customers,” said Tushar Dave, CEO and co-founder of Enlighted. “Lighting consumes approximately 19 percent of the electricity around the world and demand for electric lighting is anticipated to increase by 80 percent by 2030. Yet a substantial portion is used inefficiently. Our technology will help building owners, utilities and others get a handle on this hidden problem.”